AKP's Serkan Bayram asks for forgiveness from Erdoğan following remarks after fund scandal

AKP İstanbul MP Serkan Bayram has issued a new statement following the criticism he leveled during a television program regarding the fund investigation, the justice system, and the detention practices applied to mayors. In a post on his social media account, Bayram asked for "forgiveness" from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP community.

In the Çalar Saat program broadcast on NOW TV, Bayram had stated, "We have taken away the rights of many people, including our disabled brothers and sisters," and criticized the detention methods used in operations against mayors, saying, "It is a pity, the mayor was elected. We take them in the morning, why are we taking them? If you called them, they would come anyway. This applies to all our mayors."

Following the backlash from circles close to the government, Bayram stated in his latest post that his remarks were "exploited by some circles" and caused "justified discomfort" within the AKP. Bayram said, "I should have expressed my thoughts within the party's internal mechanisms and with the tone required by political responsibility."

I ask for forgiveness from our President, first and foremost, and from all my fellow party members, our organizations, and the millions of citizens who have given their hearts to the AK Party, for my expressions that exceeded their intended purpose.

In his statement, Bayram also expressed that it was not appropriate for him to make "evaluations expressing definitive judgment" regarding ongoing legal processes, individuals, and institutions. He emphasized that the duty to investigate allegations, evaluate evidence, and pass judgment in legal processes belongs to the independent judiciary.

Stating that President Erdoğan had tasked the State Supervisory Council regarding the fund process and that a fully authorized coordination board had been established under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Bayram noted that he should have highlighted these steps in his remarks.

However, this statement by Bayram was not seen as sufficient by some figures close to the government. Journalist Sinan Burhan, known for his proximity to the AKP, quoted Bayram's post and stated, "You made very heavy accusations in front of the media. First, you slammed the AK Party. Then you said I did wrong. This attitude is not a principled stance."